ENG $2139$ ASSIGNMENT No $4$

$[$DUE ON THE SECOND WEDNESDAY AFTER BREAK, by $17$:$00]$

Q$1.$ During your industrial break, you have been attached to a newly established mediumsized specialised in call centre sub$-$contracting, which has a Chief Executive Officer $($CEO$),$ a Chief Financial Officer $($CFO$),$ a Chief Operating Officer $($COO$),$ a Call Centre Manager, a Procurement & Supplies Manager, an Internal Audit Manager, an IT Manager and a Legal Counsel. In addition to the Management team, the company has $42$ full$-$time employees. They recently subscribed for a broadband Internet link from one of the local Internet Service Providers $($ISPs$),$ and have hired an IT consulting company to set up their Local Area Network $($LAN$).$ The CEO $($Chief Executive Officer$)$ knows that you are currently doing your $2^{nd}$ Year Engineering$/$Mines; and that you take an IT course $($ENG $2139)$ where you have learnt Fundamentals of Data Networks. Tough the consultant is expected to design and implement the entire LAN, you have been asked by the IT Manager to propose a possible layout $($topology$)$ with the following specifications: each office of those in the Management team must be connected directly to the backbone Network Switch; and all the remaining employees must be connected to the Internet through second$-$tier three $(3)$ Network Switches on the company's LAN. For load balancing, you may wish to connect maximum of $14$ employees to each second$-$tier Switch.

Draw a layout of your proposed Network Topology and explain the rationale, pros and cons of your chosen topology.

$[120$ Marks$]$